Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Posted: 11/12/11

Motion controls are a boon to family gatherings and nursing homes, but when you want to spend quality one-on-one time with your machine it's slim pickings. The console that started the craze is trying to get the final word with MotionPlus-driven The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. With one of Nintendo's biggest mascots playing the beard to this most active of action games, will this bargain bin-filling craze finally have another arrow in its quiver?

As the prequel to Ocarina of Time, Skyward Sword presents an origin to one of the more convoluted story canons in the medium. The beginning of Zelda and Link's relationship is explored here and if you swap Hogwarts for Skyloft the picture becomes clear. Just as the two are starting to figure things out Zelda is whisked away by the conniving Lord Ghirahim. He's trying to revive his evil master, and the girl is part of the equation. Link is always just a step behind, are rarely brushes elbows with the object of his affection.

Story elements are kept pretty light and conversations are handled with sharply-written text that helps develop the prose's few players. It seems no matter what point in time these games take place, the story always remains the same, and with few side quests to flesh out the universe it can sometimes feel like going through the motions.

This franchise has been slow to change its core design, but Skyward Sword represents its biggest departure from tradition. The closest thing you get to an overworld is an expansive sky that you soar around, looking for holes in the clouds that lead to the dungeons below. Yet trying to single anything out as a dungeon would be to ignore its overarching structure.

In Skyward Sword, the entire world is one big dungeon. Those tranquil moments loping along on Epona in vast fields are gone. In their place are environments every bit as challenging to navigate as the proper dungeons. Things can get tricky, and like most Zelda games you're given a sidekick to help. This time you get a cross between Navi, Cortana, and Tinkerbell named Fi. A champion of stating the obvious, she's not particularly helpful.

The weapons and items in Skyward Sword are plentiful, and now you can collect bugs and other elements to upgrade them. Completely optional, you can finish the game with your default gear, and having to travel back to Skyloft every time you want to boost something doesn't provide much incentive.

For as advanced as the level design is, there are other elements in need of an overhaul. There aren't many games left with save points, and while they're more frequent here and there are some checkpoints baked in, you'll still find yourself running for long stretches to get back in the action.

Skyward Sword is an absolutely massive game. The main quest will take most players around 40 hours to complete and excising its hidden secrets and collectibles will extend that exponentially. It's a bit deceptive, though. In traditional Zelda style various fetch quests derail the experience and you must return to several areas multiple times as you acquire new tools.

Though it does its best to camouflage it with item collection, Zelda's gameplay is essentially about getting from point A to point B using the items you're given. It's all the stuff in between that sets the franchise apart. Skyward Sword stumbles out of the blocks with some of the game's most uninteresting and confusing dungeon design. At about the half-way point things start heating up and it's a steady climb from there.

With one clear track through the campaign, and hardly any minigames for distraction, you either work your way through one mind-bending room after another or turn the machine off. All the frivolity has been purged, taking some of the charm along with it. We never thought we'd see a console Zelda game without fishing, but like a lot of the other trimmings, it hasn't made the cut.

Twilight Princess included motion controls, but at the time, we had no idea we were only getting a slice of the possibilities. This time you get the whole pie courtesy of the MotionPlus add-on. Required to play, every last iota of the experience is centered around it. From enemy markings and defensive stances to the sometimes-humbling puzzles, by game's end you'll be trained to slice horizontally or vertically at a moment's notice. While death via combat is still extremely rare, quick enemy reaction keeps every battle interesting.

The weapons and gadgets are a mix of old and new, but even the classics feel fresh with the accuracy of MotionPlus.. You get old standbys like the slingshot and bombs, while the additions are up to spec. The beetle is our absolute favorite because of its versatility. It can be used to scout, cut wires, and bomb targets. We're also a fan of the leaf blower dubbed gust bellows--if only to play around with the game's surprisingly realistic physics.

MotionPlus' performance isn't perfect, but it's still very impressive. The one-to-one sword control is accurate enough that you can have fun just chopping something to bits. Tilting and pointing respond just as well, and with the exception of the bombs, playing with the toys in Zelda's sandbox is better than ever. While you're organically trained to master each one, the plentiful boss fights act as memorable mid-term exams.

Skyward Sword can feel a little creaky when it comes to long distance traversal. With no warp system, you'll have to pop out to the sky and then back into the level to select a new location. Within dungeons you're given waypoint markers to help guide the way, but they're only roughly effective. To help with the multitude of items and locations to track down you're given dousing abilities. It's boring, too vague, and a much bigger part of the gameplay than it should be. The addition of the sprint should help alleviate slow travel, but it's muted by a stamina meter.

You can see shades of Nintendo's biggest franchises all over Skyward Sword. There are hints of Metroid, Super Mario Sunshine, and the entirety of Wii Sports Resort. Yet, when compared to prior Zelda games, the overall variety is lacking. In return, you're rewarded with some of the best dungeons in series history. One area where Link carries around a time-switching crystal shows a creativity that few games can match.

The Wii had the cards stacked against it when it was released and it's safe to say after playing Skyward Sword that its potential has been completely tapped. No stronger than Twilight Princess from a technical perspective, the super-saturated watercolor motif is gorgeous one moment and garish the next. The environments are barren and the lone town has less than 20 citizens. Despite Nintendo's best efforts to sand down the seams, it looks like an old game. Moments of wonder can often transcend muscle power, and this game has its share. While the harp is a total bust from a gameplay perspective, learning new songs with Fi is absolutely sparkling. It's easily the most cinematic game in the series, yet it's still behind the curve.

For the first time, Zelda's music has been recorded by a live orchestra. It's a huge step up in quality and most of the arrangements will eventually worm their way into your subconscious. Minus a couple ear-stabbers, it's great stuff. Voice acting is absent once again in favor of gibberish, grunts, and giggles. It's only made worse by some of the flappy jaw animations. It's another area that makes Skyward Sword feel like a throwback.

It's Zelda's twenty-fifth anniversary and Skyward Sword represents its first gray hairs. Games have evolved so much in the last half-decade that it's hard to grant exceptions, yet its foundation is so strong that it could be built out of wire frames and still be compelling. Stripped bare of accessories, its all-business approach will thrill some and frustrate others. Less whimsical and more weighty, it proves that clever level design and tight gameplay trump all, and perhaps most importantly, that motion gaming can truly be for everyone.

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